The present invention is directed to an organic waste bioconverter and a method for converting human and food wastes substantially into carbon dioxide and water. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a dry closet having means for mixing the organic waste with a porous carrier in a collecting vessel under the control of a moisture sensing device.
Periodically, various parts of our country suffer from a critical shortage of water, a natural resource which many of us take for granted. Such water shortages opened many eyes to the fact that, if our population continues to grow at its present rate, in the not too far distant future, there may not be enough clean water to meet our daily needs. One way in which an individual's daily water requirement can be drastically reduced is to replace the conventional, popular flush toilet with a dry toilet. Indeed, the flush toilet is the third most serious polluter and destroyer of our world's environment. Its menace is exceeded only by the pesticides of agriculture and the poisons of industry. While to many the use of a dry toilet sounds like a step backwards in time to the old fashioned outhouse, it does not by any means have to be so distasteful or inconvenient.
The Modig U.S. Pat. No. 3,859,672, discloses a dry closet of the same general type as the present invention. The Modig closet comprises a collecting vessel having at least a partially perforated bottom. The vessel contains a bed of material suitable for biologically decomposing the waste material introduced into the vessel. A shaft having suitable mixing blades thereon is located within the vessel for mixing the waste with the carrier material, either intermittently or continuously when the closet is in use. A heat generating device is also provided within the dry closet outside of the collecting vessel for use under certain climatic conditions.
The Nordgren U.S. Pat. No. 3,959,829, is directed to a dry closet similar to the Modig closet described above. Nordgren further provides a plurality of electric heating foils arranged beneath the collecting vessel to provide uniform heat to the vessel. A thermostat is provided for controlling one or more of the heating coils to provide additional heat if the temperature within the vessel decreases due to excess moisture. A moisture responsive switch is also provided in the bottom of the vessel for controlling a fan in the upper portion of the vessel. Manually operated stirring means are provided in the vessel for mixing the waste material with the carrier material.
Moisture sensing devices of the type having a pair of spaced apart contacts embedded in the soil are old and well known in the art as evidenced by the Haagen U.S. Pat. No. 4,122,389, and Phillips U.S. Pat. No. 4,268,824.